Interests: Post Oak Ranch has an interest in objective testing of meat goats. Untested attributes promised by some breeders of purebred stock simply do not stand up to the needs of the commercial breeder. Tests designed to measure actual performance provide better information than ancestry are one of special interests.

This following post was inspired by an e-mail I received from a reader. I always appreciate good suggestions - keep them coming! Penny, Thanks for the note. Weight gain is definitely an important topic for us goat breeders! As you... Continue reading

Post suggestion by Allan I recently got an e-mail from a long-time viewer of the blog with some follow-up questions regarding a post I wrote a few years ago about avoiding Coccidiosis. Here's how the conversation went: Matt, I have... Continue reading

As ranchers, most of the goats we sell get loaded in the bed of a pickup truck or the back of a trailer so they can reach their new owner's farm further down the road. Some folks bring rigs that... Continue reading

With the 2017 kidding season already underway, we've been getting lots of calls from people wanting to buy goats as soon as they're available. But, the kids need to be raised and weaned before they can be sold. So how... Continue reading

I may be a little late to the party...but all the millennials have been playing an iPhone game called 'Pokémon Go' where they walk around collecting digital monsters on their phones. Well, I finally figured out what all the buzz... Continue reading

We were happy to find our first goat kids of the 2017 kidding season earlier today. We can't wait to see what the latest generation of meat producers can do! The kid shown here is from our Post Oak breeding... Continue reading

Here's a funny thought: if you have a really good buck, you'll end up selling him sooner than you'd sell a buck you don't like as much. You'd think goats would be like an old ranch truck you love to... Continue reading

From the fight on the football field to the balance on your credit card bill, it's pretty easy to tell that size matters! The same is true for goats. Since meat is sold by the pound, goats need to quickly... Continue reading

What does it mean for a goat to be a “good mother?” A capable breeding doe takes ownership of her babies, hides the kids from predators, and nurses her young effectively. If a doe cannot consistently raise kids, she is a liability without an expectation of profit. That’s why it’s so important to breed goats that are good mothers. Continue reading

For a goat to be good at kidding they must be able to give birth on their own, recover quickly, and produce as many kids as possible. Just "eating weeds" and "not getting eaten" won't turn a profit. To make money in the goat business, you need goats that take care of themselves and produce kids that do the same. Continue reading

Many goats are susceptible to gastrointestinal parasites or “worms” which leach nutrients from the animal’s bloodstream. This drain of the animal’s resources causes anemia which leaves them malnourished, weak, and unable to raise kids. Fortunately, certain goats have a genetically occurring immunity or “resistance” to internal parasites. Continue reading

If you're trying to decide whether to purchase horned or polled goats, consider this: goat horns make great handles. When you're trying to move a hornless goat, there's not much to hold onto. Although this means the goat won't get... Continue reading

So you purchased some less-than-ideal breeding stock. Now what? When we first entered the goat business, we purchased Boer crosses in a herd dispersal and attempted to 'breed up' using (comparatively) high-dollar Kiko bucks. Unwelcome as this advice may be,... Continue reading

Spanish goats have excellent parasite resistance so they don't fall over dead because of worms. They have some of the best udders in the business and they have superb mothering instincts. If you'd like to start seeing more twins, Spanish goats have you covered too! Continue reading

If you haven't already started, breeding season is nearly here! But, maybe you'd like to try a different breeding date this year. Although I'm certainly no expert, we have sometimes found that breeding just after the weather cools yields more... Continue reading

How long after breeding will my goats start kidding? Breeding season is almost upon us again! So, if you're trying to figure out whether to breed now or in a couple months, you may be wondering how much time the... Continue reading

When you're buying breeding stock, consider purchasing grown does. Many new ranchers want to buy young doelings to start their herd 'from scratch.' But, they don't realize that their approach has some downsides. Small yearling does are often targets for... Continue reading

If you'd like to have an numeric method for determining the parasites in your goats, you might consider using a fecal egg count. Although Famacha eye scores are more convenient for on-ranch observation, by sending a few manure samples to... Continue reading

For the last few weeks, the smell as I've walked through the gate to the buck pen has made it obvious - breeding season is almost here! If you want to keep your overly-eager sires from butting through your fence,... Continue reading

To quickly increase a pedigreed goat's offspring, show goat ranchers often use embryo transfer to implant artificially fertilized eggs in does with less recognized bloodlines. The recipient, or 'recip', does then carry, birth, and raise the genetically unrelated kid to... Continue reading

Guest post Goat meat is quickly on the rise and the demand for it is ever-growing both in the United Stated and the UK. It is a leaner meat than most and is almost 50% less fatty than beef. It... Continue reading

Ever looked out your back door to see a bunch of weanling kids with their heads stuck in the fence like they've been sentenced to the stocks? Next time you find a goat in the fence, duct tape a light... Continue reading

If you're building non-electric goat fencing, place the panels/wire-mesh on the same side of the post as your goats. When the goats rub against the fence, the post will oppose the pressure. Otherwise the wire clips might not support the... Continue reading

Whether you're learning a new trade or starting a new project, the result will always be better if you get some advice from someone with experience. So, if you're considering electric fence for your goat pen or buck pen, you... Continue reading

Guest post by Greg Christiansen One of the obstacles to enlarging your goat herd and increasing your goat acres, is the cost and labor involved with fencing large acreages for pasturing goats. By utilizing even an old broken down cow fence that hasn’t kept cattle in for years, and a couple elec...